Emergency Quota Act of 1921: This legislation restricted immigration to the United States by establishing a quota of admittance. The number of immigrants from a certain country was restricted to 3% of the current residents from that country in America. Although temporary, this act had the legacy of establishing an immigration quota.
Immigration Quota Act of 1924: This act superseded the Quota Act of 1921 and lowered the percentage of admittance to 2%. It was aimed at restricting New Immigration and entirely prohibited Asian immigration.
Ku Klux Klan: The second Ku Klux Klan was known for extreme nativism and religious persecution. A significant percentage of the white population in America joined the KKK, and the group gained some political power during this period.
Red Scare: Widespread fear of Russian Bolsheviks and anarchists arose during the Twenties due to the Russian Revolution. Red Scare also involved labor movements.
Domestic Policy
Fordney-McCumber Tariff: This tariff was intended to protect factories and farms by raising the tariff. It was a response to post-WWI concerns of economic sufficiency and preservation of wartime economic booms.
McNary-Haugen Bill: This bill never became a law due to its controversial status. It was intended to subsidize American agriculture and raise the prices of farm products through government purchase of surplus.
Ohio Gang: political and industrial leaders surrounding President Warren G. Harding who came into his circle during his time as a politician in Ohio. Several of these politicians became involved in financial scandals during the Harding administration, such as the Teapot Dome scandal.
Teapot Dome Scandal: In 822, Secretary of the Interior Albert B. Fall leased Navy petroleum reserves to private oil companies due to bribery. It destroyed public reputation of the Harding administration.
Volstead Act: This legislation enabled the Eighteenth Amendment and established prohibition of alcohol.
Foreign Policy
Dawes Plan: This economic plan attempted to provide a solution for German war reparations payments by lending money for debts through American investment banks. Despite its short-term economic benefits, it forced the German economy into dependency on foreign markets, making it vulnerable to later economic depressions.
Hawley-Smoot Tariff: This legislation raised tariffs to an almost all-time high in 1930.
Kellogg-Briand Pact: This treaty was signed by Germany, France, and the United States and was intended to promise to avoid war as a resolution for international conflicts. However, the treaty failed with World War II because it lacked enforcement.
Washington Conference: The 1921 Washington Naval Conference was held between nine nations with interests in the Pacific territories: United States, Japan, China, France, Britain, Italy, Belgium, Netherlands, and Portugal. It was the first disarmament conference in history and resulted in three major treaties: the Four, Five, and Nine Power Treaties.
President Hoover & The Great Depression
Black Tuesday: In October 1929, the stock market crashed and began the Great Depression, which affected all Western industrialized countries.
Bonus Army: The gathering of over 43 thousand marchers (17 thousand of which were WWI veterans) in Washington DC in 1932. They demanded immediate payment redemption for their service in order to combat the difficulties of the Great Depression. In the end, Chief Douglas MacArthur was ordered to drive out the marchers and their families.
Buying on margin: Margin buying involves purchasing financial securities, such as stocks or bonds, with borrowed money and paying back the loan over time. During the 20's, margin buying was rampant due to dangerously low minimum deposit requirements. Inability to fulfill these loans contributed to the stock market crash.
Federal Housing Administration: A US government agency formed by the National Housing Act (1934) that insured loans by banks and lenders for home building and buying. It was aimed towards improving housing standards and stabilizing the mortgage market after the Great Depression.
Hoover-Stimson Doctrine: This doctrine stated that the United States would not recognize changes in territorial acquisitions if they were taken by force. It was a response to Japanese aggressions on China.
Memorial Day Massacre: Chicago Police Department officers shoot and kill 10 demonstrators in Chicago in May, 1937, during the “Little Steel Strike”.
Reconstruction Finance Corporation: The RFC was an independent agency of the US government formed during the Hoover administration to give aid to state and local governments during the Great Depression. It also set up many relief programs prior to the New Deal. However, this corporation was a major target for Hoover’s opponents, who accused him of helping banks and business that suffered in the economy, but ignoring the citizens.
President FDR & The New Deal
20th Amendment: Reduction of the lame duck period between Presidential and Congressional terms.
21st Amendment: Repealed the 18th amendment, which was the prohibition of alcohol.
Brain Trust: Franklin Roosevelt’s close advisers.
CCC: Civilian Conservation Corps. A public works project that provided relief to unemployed men after the Great Depression, and also led to the conservation of natural resources.
Congress of Industrial Organization: Organized workers in industrial unions.
Court-packing scheme: President Roosevelt's plan to remove justices from the Supreme Court who stood in the way of his progressive policies. This scheme caused FDR to lose much popularity.
Glass-Steagall Act: Established the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and imposed banking reforms.
New Deal: Economic programs established by President Franklin D. Roosevelt during the Great Depression.
NRA: National Recovery Administration. Created by the National Industrial Recovery Act. Brought business, labor, and government together to create codes of fair practice, which included set prices, production levels, minimum wages, and maximum works hours within each industry.
Roosevelt’s 3 R’s: Relief for the unemployed and poor, Recovery of the economy, and Reform of the financial system to prevent repeated economic problems.
Social Security Act of 1935: Established during FDR’s first term, this act attempted to limit dangers to modern American life, including old age, poverty, and unemployment.
TVA: Tennessee Valley Authority. Provided flood control, electricity generation, and economic development in the Tennessee Valley region, which was greatly affected by the Great Depression.
Wagner Act: Passed in 1935, this act protected many labor union activities, including collective bargaining and labor strikes. It also established the National Labor Board.
WPA: Works Progress Administration. A New Deal project that employed unskilled workers to carry out public works projects, like the construction of bridges, buildings, and roads.
John Dewey: American philosopher and educational reformer who developed the philosophy of pragmatism and functional psychology, ideas that were influential in education and social reform of the time.
John T. Scopes: Tennessee teacher who was charged in May 1925 for teaching evolution. He was tried in the Scopes Trial (or Monkey Trial) case for violating the Tennessee Butler Act and demonstrated the challenges of secularization in education.
Clarence Darrow: Defense lawyer in the Scopes “Monkey” Trial.
Margaret Sanger: Female reformer most known for advocating the use and acceptance of contraception and birth control.
Sigmund Freud: An Austrian neurologist whose revolutionary theories of the unconscious were influential towards the society of the 1920s.
H.L. Mencken: American author and reporter known for reporting satire on the Scopes trial and giving it the name, “Monkey Trial”. Mencken was influential in his commentary of social changes, including temperance and politics.
Politicians
William Jennings Bryan: A Democratic politician who fought against the Gold Standard. He was known for his sensational “Cross of Gold” speech at the 1896 Democratic National Convention and his role against Darwinism in the Scopes Trial.
Calvin Coolidge: Republican President who served from 1923-1929, succeeding President Harding after his death. He restored confidence in the American people after cleaning up scandals from the previous administration.
Father Charles Coughlin: A Roman Catholic priest who strongly criticized FDR’s “New Deal”. His platform called for monetary inflation and the nationalization of the banking system.
John W. Davis: Democratic party Presidential nominee who lost to Coolidge in the 1924 Presidential election.
Harry M. Daugherty:Attorney General and a member of Harding’s “Ohio Gang”, who was forced to resign due to scandals.
Albert B. Fall:U.S. senator who accepted bribes and leased reserves to private industries in the Teapot Dome Scandal.
Charles R. Forbes:Director of the Veterans Bureau. He was convicted of stealing $200 million from the U.S. government.
Warren G. Harding: Republican President from 1921-1923 who defeated James Cox in a landslide; his presidency was marked with financial corruption, including the Teapot Dome Scandal. Despite scandals, Harding’s reputation remained relatively positive due to his advances in economic responsibility and reduction of the unemployment rate. Harding died suddenly on a trip and was succeeded by Calvin Coolidge.
Herbert Hoover: Republican president during 1929-1933. He was a strong proponent of efficiency in industry. The Great Depression emerged at the start of his presidency, and Hoover attempted to combat it with public works projects, tariffs, and tax increases; however, due to his failure to focus assistance on the unemployed and poor, Hoover was not re-elected and is considered an unpopular president.
Harry Hopkins: one of FDR's closest advisors who designed the New Deal and implemented the Works Projects Administration
Charles Evans Hughes: Republican politician who served as the governer of New York, Secretary of State, Court of International Justice judge, and 11th Chief Justice of the United States. As a Chief Justice, Hughes was known for expanding state power while maintaining a nationalist stance towards commerce. He also played a large role in anti-trust rulings.
Harold Ickes: A United States administrator and politician that helped implement President Franklin D. Roosevelt's "New Deal".
Alfred M. Landon: Kansas governor who ran as Republican against FDR during the 1936 Presidential election and lost.
Robert M. La Follette: Progressive politician known for his presidential campaign in 1f924 and his reputation as an excellent Senator. Follette was a prime investigator in the Teapot Dome Scandal.
Huey Long: a Democratic politician who was known for supporting FDR and advocating federal deficit spending for economic recovery. Long later broke off from Roosevelt to support Coughlin's run for presidency
Andrew Mellon: Secretary of the Treasury during the Harding, Coolidge and Hoover presidencies. He tackled the American World War I debt by reforming the income tax.
Frances Perkins: the first woman with a position in the Cabinet, Perkins was a strong supporter of Roosevelt's New Deal policies.
Eleanor Roosevelt: Wife of Franklin D. Roosevelt. She worked with the Red Cross and worked toward the advancement of women's rights.
Franklin D. Roosevelt: Democratic President who served three terms from 1933-1945 and passed away in 1945 at the beginning of his fourth term. Well-known for his “New Deal” programs, which were designed to stimulate the American economy after the Great Depression.
Alfred E. Smith: Democratic presidential nominee who was Catholic and anti-Prohibition. He ran in 1928 and was defeated by FDR.
Francis Townsend: advocate for the old-age pension; his Townsend Plan proposal influenced the development of Social Security
Culture/Literature
Bruce Barton: author of The Man Nobody Knnows (1925), which depicted Jesus Christ as the role model for the modern businessman.
William Faulkner: A well-known author of Southern literature, best known for his novel The sound and the Fury (1929).
F.Scott Fitzgerald: Author of the Lost Generation whose lifestyle characterized that of the Roaring Twenties. His piece The Great Gatsby is often regarded as the quintessential American novel.
Sinclair Lewis: American novelist and playwright best known for his peace Babbitt, which satirized American commercial culture.
Industry
Henry Ford: Founder of the Ford Motor Company. He was influential due to his development of the assembly line and use of mass production in industry. Ford was also a pacifist and anti-Semitic.
John L. Lewis: President of the United Mine Workers of America and helped found the Congress of Industrial Organizations
Frederick W. Taylor: A mechanical engineer who developed the theory of scientific management and was a leader of the Efficiency Movement, which impacted the Progressive Era in reforming industrial processes.
Red Scare
A. Mitchell Palmer: Attorney general of the United States from 1919-1921 who directed the Palmer Raids, arrests targeted toward deporting leftists and anarchists that were characteristic of the Red Scare.
Sacco and Vanzetti: Two Italian anarchists who were accused of robbery and murder; they were executed because of their political beliefs and the increasing fear of foreigners in the United States
The New Deal Network: an educational guide to the Great Depression of the 1930s. Includes picture slideshows and archived libraries of primary resources, along with lesson guids.
The American Experience: Special Features:PBS program website that contains special features with primary documents and interviews. Includes features for “Surviving the Dust Bowl”, “Timeline of the Great Depression”, and “The New Deal”.
Biography of Franklin D. Roosevelt: (from the American Heritage Center Museum) Complete biographical text on FDR, along with articles detailing the Great Depression and the New Deal.
Digital History: The Great Depression: Article introducing the Great Depression, with recommended documents, maps, images, timelines, and fact sheets.
America in the 1930s: Website with detailed descriptions and examples of the cultural changes and advances during the 1930s, including film, literature, and radio.
Primary Documents
1. A Mother of Seven Children
A: Photographer Dorothea Lange
P: 1936, Oklahoma.
P: The Stock Market Crash, followed by the Great Depression, caused many individuals to lose their jobs and their homes.
A: The American public
R: To demonstrate the effects of the Great Depression on the American people
T: The Great Depression was an economic collapse that had a huge toll on the American population, causing many to lose their savings and forcing families into poverty.
S: Social and Economic - The Great Depression was the worst economic disaster in American history, and this collapse was the reason for the influx of social reform and legislation during the 30s and 40s.
A: President Franklin D. Roosevelt
P: National Radio, Monday, July 24, 1933
P: During his presidency, FDR was known for delivering paternal addresses to the nation through the new technology of radio.
A: The American public
R: FDR wanted to directly address and calm the American people
T: FDR explained to the people what the nation's approach was going to be to exit the Great Depression and get the United States back on it's feet.
S: Technological, Economic, Social - This was the first time that the radio was used by the President to directly address the people. His chat reflected his ideas for economic and social reform that would be taking place in the United States to help the American people and restore the economy.
3. Agency Alphabet-Soup
A: Unknown
P: 1934
P: FDR passed his New Deal legislation to create agencies in order to help the economy and the American people during the Great Depression.
A: The American public
R: To show FDR's New Deal agencies and how the legislation of that time period was revolved around his ideas of fixing the U.S. economy during the Great Depression.
T: FDR created many different agencies in an attempt to fix the U.S. economy and help send the American people back to work.
S: Political, Economic - Most of the politics during the 1930s was revolved around fixing the economy after the stock market crash
4. No Foreign Entanglements
A: NEA Service Inc
P: 1935
P: The United States had taken a neutral stance in foreign affairs and had passed a neutrality act.
A: The American public
R: To show America's desire to remain neutral and stay out of international conflicts.
T: In the 1930s, the United States Senate took an isolationist position against any kind of U.S. involvement in international engagements, ranging from refusal to join the World Court to the passage of the various Neutrality Acts. The provisional neutrality act passed the Senate in 1935.
S: Political - The cartoon demonstrates how the United States wanted to remain politically uninvolved in international conflicts, not wanting to be involved in another WWI.
5. The Philanthropist
A: The Chicago Daily News
P: December 5, 1930
P: The United States had just experienced a stock market crash, leading the country into a economic depression.
A: The American public
R: To show the desperation of the individuals who were hit by the Great Depression.
T: The Great Depression devastated the United States economy, leaving about 25 percent of the workforce unemployed. People who lost their jobs began selling five-cent apples on the streets of American cities, a symbol of the economic hardships of the era.
S: Economic, Social - The economic collapse of the 30s led to a drastic change in the social aspect of American society, as many people lost their jobs, homes, and previous way of life.
6. Plans To Make The High Court Higher
A: Cartoonist Reg Manning
P: Phoenix Republic Newspaper, February 1937
P: FDR tried to remove or replace several Supreme Court justices in order to pass certain Democratic legislation.
A: American public
R: Highlight the fallacies behind FDR's proposal
T: Roosevelt's attempts to change the structure of the Supreme Court would alter the centuries-old foundation of the judicial branch, much like physical changes to an architectural structure. Additionally, Congress is depicted as the eager worker doing FDR's bidding towards altering the Supreme Court, revealing the public's judgment of the evident cooperation between the President and the Legislative branch.
S: Political - This cartoon revealed the constitutional incompatibility of FDR's proposals and showed the shrinking approval of his presidency due to an unacceptable extent of legislative power.
7. Don't Crush Them
A: Cartoonist Halladay
P: Providence Journal, March 24, 1933
P: The Agricultural Adjustment Act proposed by FDR would regulate agricultural surpluses in order to boost profit for farmers.
A: American public
R: Show concern that the ultimate consumer and traditional American principles will be steamrolled by FDR and the U.S. farmers.
T: Halladay believed that the enactment of the AAA relief bill would ignore and even threaten economic laws, the federal economy, and the integrity of the consumer.
S: Political - Demonstrated the unconstitutional aspects of Roosevelt's relief plans. In 1963, the Supreme Court ruled the AAA tax unconstitutional, only to be resolved in the AAA of 1938.
8. Public Vs. Private Financing of Relief Efforts
"The friendliness and charity of our countrymen can always be relied upon to relieve their fellow citizens in misfortune." - Herbert Hoover
A: President Herbert Hoover
P: Press conference, February 3, 1931
P: When the Great Depression began, Hoover sought to benefit corporations and banks as a solution.
A: American public
R: Explain motives for corporate and banking assistance in the financial crisis
T: Instead of providing assistance for the unemployed and poor, Hoover instead gave loans and assistance to banks and corporations, believing that their charity would motivate them to relieve fellow citizens and thus benefit the economy overall.
S: Social - Hoover's beliefs were misguided and caused him to lose his presidency in the next election. Although he also tried to stimulate the economy through public works, Hoover ignored the needs of the common man and did not try to reduce unemployment, causing the people to turn away from him.
9. Roosevelt's Inaugural Address
"Our greatest primary task is to put people to work. This is no unsolvable problem if we face it wisely and courageously. It can be accomplished in part by direct recruiting by the Government itself, treating the task as we would treat the emergency of a war." - FDR A: President Franklin D. Roosevelt P: Inaugural Address, Washington DC, March 4, 1933 P: Roosevelt was elected president in the midst of the Great Depression and enacted the New Deal program to resolve financial woes. A: American public R: Extrapolate his approach to the financial problems of the Great Depression. T: Here, FDR reveals his main approach toward revitalizing the economy, stressing the importance of fixing unemployment. He foreshadows the development of the CCC for employing citizens and confirms his seriousness in fixing the economy by comparing it to "the emergency of a war". S: Economy and Political - Roosevelt's speech highlighted economic solutions that would occur during his presidency. At the same time, it also foreshadowed his political actions as president and benefited public approval of his programs.
10. Grand Canyon National Park
A: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
P: Washington D.C., 1938
P: During FDR's presidency, he was particularly concerned with the impact of citizens' wasteful activities on the environment. He worked to preserve natural resources from destruction.
A: American public
R: To spread awareness of government programs to preserve the environment and establish national parks.
T: Natnalional parks were a new service that would benefit both the environment and the citizens.
S: Intellectual - The establishment of the national park system changed the public's mindset and spread awareness of environmental conservation. Roosevelt's actions saved millions of acres of wilderness that otherwise would have been endangered by the rise of industry.
1. Analyze the extent of consumerism’s effect on United States society during the 1920s.
2. Analyze the causes and responses of the Great Depression.
3. Identify THREE of the following New Deal measures and analyze the ways in which each of the three attempted to fashion a more stable economy and a more equitable society.
Agricultural Adjustment Act
Securities and Exchange Commission
Wagner National Labor Relations Act
Social Security Act
Each New Deal measure was targeted toward different aspects of society. The Agricultural Adjustment Act was aimed at resolving the inflationary trends of domestic agriculture imports. Its prime beneficiaries were the farmers of the South and Midwest who were having difficulties sustaining themselves with the falling prices of crops. In order to prevent future stock market abuses and crashes, Roosevelt established the Securities and Exchange Commission, which regulated stock activities and corporations. The Wagner National Labor Relations Act was developed to maintain rights and resolve the conflicts of laborers in a society that was growing increasingly industrial. Lastly, the Social Security Act was formed to protect the wellbeing of individuals suffering from disabilities, poverty, unemployment, or old age. These programs were aimed at the evident problems that arose as causes or results of the Great Depression.
Unit 11: The Roaring 20s and the Great Depression
Lauren C & Tobi KTable of Contents
Vocabulary
Nativism
Domestic Policy
Foreign Policy
President Hoover & The Great Depression
President FDR & The New Deal
Back to the Top
People
Reformers
Politicians
Culture/Literature
Industry
Red Scare
Back to the Top
Credible Sites
Primary Documents
1. A Mother of Seven Children
A: Photographer Dorothea LangeP: 1936, Oklahoma.
P: The Stock Market Crash, followed by the Great Depression, caused many individuals to lose their jobs and their homes.
A: The American public
R: To demonstrate the effects of the Great Depression on the American people
T: The Great Depression was an economic collapse that had a huge toll on the American population, causing many to lose their savings and forcing families into poverty.
S: Social and Economic - The Great Depression was the worst economic disaster in American history, and this collapse was the reason for the influx of social reform and legislation during the 30s and 40s.
2. Fireside Chat
A: President Franklin D. RooseveltP: National Radio, Monday, July 24, 1933
P: During his presidency, FDR was known for delivering paternal addresses to the nation through the new technology of radio.
A: The American public
R: FDR wanted to directly address and calm the American people
T: FDR explained to the people what the nation's approach was going to be to exit the Great Depression and get the United States back on it's feet.
S: Technological, Economic, Social - This was the first time that the radio was used by the President to directly address the people. His chat reflected his ideas for economic and social reform that would be taking place in the United States to help the American people and restore the economy.
3. Agency Alphabet-Soup
A: UnknownP: 1934
P: FDR passed his New Deal legislation to create agencies in order to help the economy and the American people during the Great Depression.
A: The American public
R: To show FDR's New Deal agencies and how the legislation of that time period was revolved around his ideas of fixing the U.S. economy during the Great Depression.
T: FDR created many different agencies in an attempt to fix the U.S. economy and help send the American people back to work.
S: Political, Economic - Most of the politics during the 1930s was revolved around fixing the economy after the stock market crash
4. No Foreign Entanglements
A: NEA Service IncP: 1935
P: The United States had taken a neutral stance in foreign affairs and had passed a neutrality act.
A: The American public
R: To show America's desire to remain neutral and stay out of international conflicts.
T: In the 1930s, the United States Senate took an isolationist position against any kind of U.S. involvement in international engagements, ranging from refusal to join the World Court to the passage of the various Neutrality Acts. The provisional neutrality act passed the Senate in 1935.
S: Political - The cartoon demonstrates how the United States wanted to remain politically uninvolved in international conflicts, not wanting to be involved in another WWI.
5. The Philanthropist
A: The Chicago Daily News
P: December 5, 1930
P: The United States had just experienced a stock market crash, leading the country into a economic depression.
A: The American public
R: To show the desperation of the individuals who were hit by the Great Depression.
T: The Great Depression devastated the United States economy, leaving about 25 percent of the workforce unemployed. People who lost their jobs began selling five-cent apples on the streets of American cities, a symbol of the economic hardships of the era.
S: Economic, Social - The economic collapse of the 30s led to a drastic change in the social aspect of American society, as many people lost their jobs, homes, and previous way of life.
6. Plans To Make The High Court Higher
A: Cartoonist Reg Manning
P: Phoenix Republic Newspaper, February 1937
P: FDR tried to remove or replace several Supreme Court justices in order to pass certain Democratic legislation.
A: American public
R: Highlight the fallacies behind FDR's proposal
T: Roosevelt's attempts to change the structure of the Supreme Court would alter the centuries-old foundation of the judicial branch, much like physical changes to an architectural structure. Additionally, Congress is depicted as the eager worker doing FDR's bidding towards altering the Supreme Court, revealing the public's judgment of the evident cooperation between the President and the Legislative branch.
S: Political - This cartoon revealed the constitutional incompatibility of FDR's proposals and showed the shrinking approval of his presidency due to an unacceptable extent of legislative power.
7. Don't Crush Them
A: Cartoonist Halladay
P: Providence Journal, March 24, 1933
P: The Agricultural Adjustment Act proposed by FDR would regulate agricultural surpluses in order to boost profit for farmers.
A: American public
R: Show concern that the ultimate consumer and traditional American principles will be steamrolled by FDR and the U.S. farmers.
T: Halladay believed that the enactment of the AAA relief bill would ignore and even threaten economic laws, the federal economy, and the integrity of the consumer.
S: Political - Demonstrated the unconstitutional aspects of Roosevelt's relief plans. In 1963, the Supreme Court ruled the AAA tax unconstitutional, only to be resolved in the AAA of 1938.
8. Public Vs. Private Financing of Relief Efforts
"The friendliness and charity of our countrymen can always be relied upon to relieve their fellow citizens in misfortune." - Herbert HooverA: President Herbert Hoover
P: Press conference, February 3, 1931
P: When the Great Depression began, Hoover sought to benefit corporations and banks as a solution.
A: American public
R: Explain motives for corporate and banking assistance in the financial crisis
T: Instead of providing assistance for the unemployed and poor, Hoover instead gave loans and assistance to banks and corporations, believing that their charity would motivate them to relieve fellow citizens and thus benefit the economy overall.
S: Social - Hoover's beliefs were misguided and caused him to lose his presidency in the next election. Although he also tried to stimulate the economy through public works, Hoover ignored the needs of the common man and did not try to reduce unemployment, causing the people to turn away from him.
9. Roosevelt's Inaugural Address
"Our greatest primary task is to put people to work. This is no unsolvable problem if we face it wisely and courageously. It can be accomplished in part by direct recruiting by the Government itself, treating the task as we would treat the emergency of a war." - FDRA: President Franklin D. Roosevelt
P: Inaugural Address, Washington DC, March 4, 1933
P: Roosevelt was elected president in the midst of the Great Depression and enacted the New Deal program to resolve financial woes.
A: American public
R: Extrapolate his approach to the financial problems of the Great Depression.
T: Here, FDR reveals his main approach toward revitalizing the economy, stressing the importance of fixing unemployment. He foreshadows the development of the CCC for employing citizens and confirms his seriousness in fixing the economy by comparing it to "the emergency of a war".
S: Economy and Political - Roosevelt's speech highlighted economic solutions that would occur during his presidency. At the same time, it also foreshadowed his political actions as president and benefited public approval of his programs.
10. Grand Canyon National Park
P: Washington D.C., 1938
P: During FDR's presidency, he was particularly concerned with the impact of citizens' wasteful activities on the environment. He worked to preserve natural resources from destruction.
A: American public
R: To spread awareness of government programs to preserve the environment and establish national parks.
T: Natnalional parks were a new service that would benefit both the environment and the citizens.
S: Intellectual - The establishment of the national park system changed the public's mindset and spread awareness of environmental conservation. Roosevelt's actions saved millions of acres of wilderness that otherwise would have been endangered by the rise of industry.
Back to the Top
Free-Response Questions
1. Analyze the extent of consumerism’s effect on United States society during the 1920s.2. Analyze the causes and responses of the Great Depression.
3. Identify THREE of the following New Deal measures and analyze the ways in which each of the three attempted to fashion a more stable economy and a more equitable society.
- Agricultural Adjustment Act
- Securities and Exchange Commission
- Wagner National Labor Relations Act
- Social Security Act
Each New Deal measure was targeted toward different aspects of society. The Agricultural Adjustment Act was aimed at resolving the inflationary trends of domestic agriculture imports. Its prime beneficiaries were the farmers of the South and Midwest who were having difficulties sustaining themselves with the falling prices of crops. In order to prevent future stock market abuses and crashes, Roosevelt established the Securities and Exchange Commission, which regulated stock activities and corporations. The Wagner National Labor Relations Act was developed to maintain rights and resolve the conflicts of laborers in a society that was growing increasingly industrial. Lastly, the Social Security Act was formed to protect the wellbeing of individuals suffering from disabilities, poverty, unemployment, or old age. These programs were aimed at the evident problems that arose as causes or results of the Great Depression.Back to the Top
Videos
The Great Depression
The New Deal
Back to the Top